Captain Frost was pleasantly easy to disarm when caught off-guard. Eryn was fuming internally, but the warrior still managed to restrain herself enough to avoid going for a choke-hold just yet, however, despite seeing a clear opening for it.

"What the hell is this, Captain?" she asked instead, with a steely voice, while hastily tying up the nine-tailed whip to render it ineffective, and tossing the cruel instrument aside without a second glance at it. If any other crew members wished to step in and pick it up, it would be their funeral. "You better have a damn good reason for why you are striking my ally."

She shot a knowing glance at Marcus, whom she had noticed in the corner of her eye as he tried to step in. She knew the paladin would object to her rash actions, but Eryn also hoped he would understand that defending Sybilla was more important than appearances... at least to her.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Fri 01 Feb 2019.

Up in the sky, Ilura's spell manifested before her as a pale ball of light. A beam shined out from it in the direction Frost's ship was heading. The beam then split into two, and arced in separate directions before rejoining and continuing onward in the same direction. As the ranger and her crow companion pondered what it might mean, they noticed a commotion beginning down on the ship.

With Sybilla tied to the mast and a small group of sailors gathered, the flogging had already begun by the time Eryn noticed what was going on. Silas and Westley watched with disgust, with Opal sitting on Silas's shoulder. Lady Mirrorsheen fluttered off in the opposite direction, not wanting to watch. Vixen looked on with a cruel smirk tugging at her mouth. And Captain Frost herself weilded the whip with a stony face. Willfully expressionless. The miniature albino peacock sitting on her shoulder squawked in distress every time Frost used her weapon.

She was taken quite off-guard when Eryn took her whip from her. The captains face went from expressionless to enraged in the blink of an eye as she turned to face Eryn. The air in the immediate vicinity around the half-elemental captain got notably cooler. Eryn could see her own breath as the captain responded.

"What am I doing? I'm captaining my ship!" The captain gestured at Sybilla with the hand that the whip had been pried from. "This woman assured me that she knew a way to cut down on our time, but ended up nearly running us aground on a reef! She endangered us all and put us behind schedule!" It seemed almost as if Frost was more upset about being put behind schedule than the danger. "Whether she is a crew member or not, if such mistakes can be made without repercussion, the entire fabric of this ship would unravel."

She held out her hand toward Eryn. "Now, either hand me back my whip, or join your friend at the mast."

What do you do?

---

Sybilla
How do you feel about this whole situation? Did the captain overreact?

Eryn
Frost is not happy with your intervention. She has given you the option of either retrieving her whip for her so that she might continue her punishment, or to join Sybilla at the mast.

There are 32 sailors aboard the ship, plus three officers and the captain. So your people make up about 1/5 of the people aboard the ship.

Marcus
You will receive a reply to the message you wrote in your magical book, but not quite yet.

Mithralan's good mood disappeared instantly when he noticed the commotion caused from the attempted flogging. He grimaced as he considered how he should act.

If he'd been part of the crew, the choice would be easy. simply follow the captain.
if he'd been a proper passenger, he would have right to interject.

But he was in an unclear spot, as was Sybilla for that matter. The captain was in her right, she doled out punishments, and decided what they were. But still, Lan didn't like seeing a friend hurt for an honest mistake.

He scratched his head in irritation. He wasn't built for stuff like this. He was a career sailor, used to a life of simple choices, outside those that threatened nature as a whole. Morals were an unwelcome complication.

Eventually he let out a weary sigh, and walked over. Perhaps he could inject some rational thought into the brewing conflict, at least.

"On the ship, the captain is the law." He said loudly, looking calmly at Eryn, before turning to look at the Frost, sending a sympathetic glance Sybs' way as he did.
"But don't you think you're perhaps being a mite too harsh, Captain? True, her route turned out to be less safe than first thought, but that's an honest mistake. She should be punished, sure, but perhaps a few days in the brig with lessened rations would be more fitting than this?" He paused to let his words sink in, before casting his gaze around at the assembled crew members and furrowing his brow.
"Besides, if right is right the fault is yours as much as hers. She suggested the route, but you chose to follow it, over your established routes and the word of the ship's navigator. And you're doling out harsh punishment to one guilty party, then. but not the other. Not yourself. And if I know one thing, it's that a captain who throws pain at a sailor he's not willin' to take himself is no captain at all."

He locked eyes with Frost once more, and his voice took on a cold tone. "Fair's fair captain. Or are you not willing to live through the same pain as you inflict on any man or woman on your ship?"

OOC:
I'm hoping this perspective might pause Frost, at least. And give her crew something to think about.
Not sure if I should make a Move here, and if so which one. Parley, maybe?

Since there isn't really any leverage, I would suggest Defy Danger +Cha. The danger being the Captain's anger.

Makes sense. I'm thinking with either INT for quick thinking or CHA for using charm and social grace?

I'll just make the roll, and you can decide which stat fits. If it's CHA, it's a straight 2d6. if it's INT it's 2d6-1.

22:15, Today: Mithralan rolled 7 using 2d6.  Defy Danger (Convince Frost to chill.).

So it's either a 7 with CHA, or a 6 with INT. Bad or really bad :P

Ilura flew down to the ship's deck.  She'd caught enough of what was going on to recognize that this was probably a good time to redirect the conversation, but she'd have to get their attention first.

"PIRATES!

About one mile dead ahead, coming our way.  They haven't seen us yet, but they will soon unless we change course.  If we vere north west or south east we can come around them and avoid being spotted, then resume course once we're past."

She looked at the captain calmly.  "I presume you don't want to waste time with a confrontation?"

Sybilla turned her head toward Eryn as best as she could, wincing slightly. Gritting her teeth she said to the warrior "I can take it, warrior." Her eyes seemed to say thank you for the brief respite. Sybilla then looked at the captain and said in a slightly menacing tone "The tides are changing, one way or another. Just watch out that it doesnt take you down with it. As if right on cue, Illura arrived with news of pirates on the horizon. Sybilla cracked a slight smile at the situation they found themselves in.

Marcus hovered behind Eryn, his grey eyes narrow and brow furrowed to its limit as he watched the escalating situation. He listened to Mithralan's case, wondering if such reasoning will work with the Captain, and ready to step in if it didn't. Then Ilura called out the warning.

There was no more time. He stepped in front of the two women "Captain, I brought Sybilla to your ship, and it will be me that suffers any punishment you see fit. Eryn, it is my choice and I ask you to honor it." he met each of their eyes for a moment before extending his hand, asking Eryn to return the whip "We have more pressing matters now."

OOC: Let me know if this requires a roll of some kind.

"Bullshit!" The expression slipped from Eryn's lips before she had a chance to seriously consider Marcus' suggestion, which she found ridiculous. She had been listening to the others speak in an effort to find a reason to calm down, but had so far not seen any indication from Captain Frost that would make it happen. The chill in the air around the captain made the warrior's skin crawl, but by some irony this extra annoyance only served to make the heat inside keep building.

The warrior likewise ignored Sybilla's assurances that everything would be fine, but shot a glance and nod of agreement at the triton's vague threat towards the captain, whilst also refusing to answer the captain's demand for the whip she had just thrown away. Instead, the paladin next to her was the unfortunate target of her redirected anger. "A holy knight as yourself, Marcus, allowing such injustice to stand? Well, I will not--" Eryn began, but like the rest of the crew she was interrupted by the cry of alarm when the pirates appeared.

Loathe as she was to abandon the argument at hand, the warrior knew the pirate ship took clear priority. She forced herself to fall into a calmer, more battle-ready mood, but knew that the last word had not been spoken on the matter just yet.

"I agree with our latest passenger," she said finally, addressed to the captain after a few moments of deliberation, clenching her fist and fighting to keep her emotions from bubbling back to the surface. "It's not Sybilla's fault you chose to follow an untrained navigator's advice, and neither is it her fault that she was mistaken. Mistakes happen. No one makes them on purpose. Either throw her in the brig or let her prove her worth against these pirates. If you strike her again I will be compelled to interfere."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:12, Sat 02 Feb 2019.

Captain Frost listened to the adventures with barely contained rage bubbling up inside her. There was haze of icy mist rolling off of the woman's shoulders as her lip curled up in anger. It was clear that she was not happy with her passengers, Eryn in particular, but she still somehow managed to hold back her tongue as the others spoke. When pirates were mentioned, Frost made a gesture to Officer Tonya Star, and the officer ran off to make preparations to handle the situation. But Frost remained where she was and took three slow deep breaths before replying.

"Mistakes," Frost said, taking another deep breath. "Mistakes, I know well. Everyone makes them and everyone pays the consequences." She began pacing slowly around Eryn, Marcus, Sybilla, and Mithralan. "It it is true that it was a mistake to put quite so much trust in Sybilla's navigation. A mistake I paid for in lost time, lost resources, and lost credibility as a captain. And there is a reason I myself was the one issuing the punishment I deemed was appropriate for Sybilla's mistake. Both as additional self-penance and as a way to ensure none of my crew went overboard with the whip. Believe it or not, but I do not enjoy flogging people. I was even planning on icing up her injuries afterward." She ran a finger along Marcus's ice-shard-marked arm as she passed by him. The ones he had gotten when she had helped him heal the beggar, Bolen. But then Frost stopped and swiveled on her heels. She had an intensity in her eyes. "But not anymore."

She pointed her finger accusingly at Eryn. "You are the one to thank for that. You willfully undermined my authority in front of the entire crew. And that cannot stand. As the druid said, on a ship, the captain's word is law. My word is law. And you broke that law. We all make mistakes, and my latest was letting you aboard my ship."

"Officer Brigg?" she said, waving another of her officers over. "Take Miss Eryn here to the Brig. We'll decide what to do with her after we deal with this whole pirate scenario. And to the rest of you," She pointed a finger to the rest of the adventurers. "Any hint of further insubordination from any of you and I will have you join her. Or worse." With that, Captain Frost turned to go deal with the alleged pirate situation. Over her shoulder she added, "Feel free to cut your triton free."

What do you do?

---

Everyone
Frost is walking away, but you still have a chance to do/say things if you would like to.

Eryn
Captain Frost has ordered Officer Brigg to throw you in the brig. (Reminder to everyone: Officer Brigg was the one who secretly hired everyone to help stage a potential mutiny)

Mithralan
Frost chilled, sort of. But now all of you guys are on extremely thin ice.

Marcus
No roll was needed. Frost opted not to hurt Sybilla any further. She also opted not to heal Sybilla...

Sybilla
You are allowed to be cut free from the mast. Your punishment is over. (Still subtract the damage you rolled if you haven't yet.) Feel free to have a hireling release you if nobody else does it for you.

Ilura
If nothing happens before she gets a chance to, Frost will ask you for more details about the state of the ships you spotted. Feel free to assume she asks you this if it is appropriate to the situation.

Ilura looked sharply at Eryn, willing her to not make an already bad situation worse.  The ranger still hoped to talk the captain into letting the team help and interfering in the eventual summoning of the Overlord.  The captain's words had made Ilura even more loath to stage a mutiny.  But that was going to require creating a degree of trust, and their band was running short of time to do so.

She followed the captain as she climbed the stairs to the bridge, answering her questions and explaining the plight of the sinking vessel.  "Under normal situations I'd suggest aiding her, but I understand that you are already short of time.  Hopefully avoiding the pirates will help to compensate for some of the cost you've incurred.  If you wish, I can go aloft and guide you so that we can keep out of sight, but resume course as quickly as possible.  And if the pirates change course, I can let you know that too.  If you wish, I can check for survivors once the pirate is out of range."

"What a load of horseshit," Eryn said, once the captain had moved far enough away to not hear her anymore. "It would have been piss-easy for her to simply stop listening to advice in the future, and to not hit our ally with an instrument of torture." She paused for a moment. "Speaking of," she muttered, then picked up the fallen whip and tossed it unceremoniously overboard. "Let's hope she doesn't have a spare," she continued, addressing Brigg, who had just moved over to perform the captain's orders of imprisoning her below deck.

"I hope you won't bother with any chains," Eryn said, nodding to the officer, "I'll go with you quietly for now, but I can promise: you won't get such things on me."

"Also, we need to talk, as soon as we can," she added, lowering her voice so only her allies at close range could hear. "You know what it's about."

---

Captain can sod off, but I won't press the issue since Sybilla is free for now.

Marcus shuddered at the touch on his crystals, more due to the realization that this was another foolhardy situation they seemed to keep throwing themselves in, than to the real sensation. He turned to Eryn to gesture that they needed a change of strategy when Frost set the sentence for the warrior. Paladin's eyes narrowed at first but quickly widened when Eryn accepted it without much of a fight.

Nodding at his companion's words, Marcus watched her leave with Brigg while he moved over to Sybilla. "Here." he said while he cut the ropes with his blade. Once he stashed the sword he gently ran his hand along the lash marks, leaving shiny scales in the wake. "Do you mind staying around until we see what's the situation with the pirate ship?"

21:28, Today: Marcus rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Lay on Hand - Sybilla.
21:28, Today: Marcus rolled 7 using 1d8.  Healing.

Sybilla stumbled off the mast and let the paladin do his healing. She stretched and tested her new magically restored scales. She still felt sore but that could be phantom pain as she remembered the lashes from just moments before. She leaned in uncomfortably close to Marcus as if she were about to give him a hug, instead she whispers in his ear "Thank you. I need to get off this boat for a bit... If you decide to toss the boss before I get back, send up a signal." With that she did a running jump off the boat into the waters below.

She drove deep enough to not been seen by anyone above then headed in the direction of the pirates.

Frost stood at the ship's wheel and considered Ilura's words for a moment, then seemed to come to some sort of conclusion. "If you could guide us from the air, I would appreciate it. We should certainly avoid the pirates if possible, but I would like to view the victim ship myself. So please lead us toward the wreck if possible. We may just skim past, but we'll see when we get there. I will have someone in the crow's nest keeping an eye on you so that you can signal them from the air."

Meanwhile, as Brigg led Eryn away, Sybilla made her way off of the ship entirely. The triton landed in the waves and easily made her way toward deeper waters, off to do whatever she planned on doing.

Brigg and Eryn left Marcus and Mithralan on deck with the hirelings and went below decks. Once they were away from the bulk of the crew, Brigg took a more relaxed stance and was less formal in his guiding of Eryn toward their destination. "You... you certainly have guts," he whispered to Eryn, impressed. "Don't worry, I won't put you in chains. I won't even take your weapons if you promise not to use them to break free," he said, indicating Eryn's spear, her sword, her knife, and her own whip. "You may need them if we run into the pirates. Besides, I think you are mostly being put in the brig as a show of Frost's authority. A way to humiliate you. You definitely got yourself on her bad side..."

Now at the brig, Brigg opened the barred door and held it for Eryn. It was a dingy little space with straw on the floor, a bucket in the corner, and a single busted porthole to look out of. He looked around to make sure they were alone. "If you wanted to talk, I think now is probably your best chance. I don't know when we will be able to be alone again. Or if you need me to pass on any information, I can try to do that as well." The officer continued looking around nervously, as if he thought the walls might have ears.

Up on deck, Marcus, Mithralan, and the hirelings stood among the crew as they prepared to change course or fight off potential pirates. "Don't just stand there, landlubbers," a random crew member yelled, despite knowing full well that Mithralan was basically a sea creature himself. "Either get outta the way, or do something useful. The archer's stations could use their arrows stocked so that they are ready if we run into trouble. Or the ballista could use some prep work too, if ya know how to operate one." The halfling sailor rushed off to go tie a line before anyone could respond.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Frost has requested your assistance again. Don't forget to give me a Shapeshift roll if you take to the air again.

Sybilla
What is it that you are you trying to do? Did you bring your equipment with?

Eryn
Brigg has brought you to the brig, but isn't planning to chain you up or disarm you. You have an opportunity to talk to him in private now, if you had anything you wanted to say.

Mithralan and Marcus
What are you up to during all of this? Your companions have gone in three separate directions. Are you sticking with anyone in particular?

"So long as I'm ahead of the ship, just follow my lead and I'll do my best to take us around outside the pirate's view.  If I come back towards the ship, keep her pointed towards whatever side I come back on and I'll land and tell you whatever the trouble is."

She waited to see if the captain wanted anything else, then headed forward.  She gave Thomas a grin.  [Ready to take to the air again?  Help me keep a sharp lookout], then shifted her form.

This one didn't come quite as naturally, perhaps because she'd only tried it the once, but it seemed to work well enough.  She flew out ahead of the ship, gaining height until she could see where the pirate ship was headed and then guided the ship sharply to port so they could get as far to the side as possible before the enemy ship breached the horizon.

quote:

14:22, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+3.  Turn into seagull.
14:32, Today: Ilura rolled 14 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

Hold 2

What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?

Sybilla swam swiftly through the water, once she was a fair distance away from Frost's Ship she popped up for a moment to get her bearings. She scanned the horizon for signs of pirate ships before returning beneath. If there were pirates about, perhaps they could be of assistance in distracting or removing the captain all together. Either way it wouldn't be her first time hanging out with that sort. While her powerful arms anand legs treaded water, she thought about what she knew of the pirates who ranged in these waters.

---

I want to seek out the pirates directly, without Frost knowing where she is going or up to. I am thinking Sybilla might either know the type of pirates who roam these sea lanes or even have worked on a "less lawful" ship in the past. She is about showing off her skills and staying away from her people's grasp, I don't think she's been that particular about whose ships she has worked on in the past. You can disregard the roll if you dont think it would make sense for her.

This message was last edited by the player at 22:51, Thu 07 Feb 2019.

Mithralan watched the situation develop in uncomfortable silence after having said his piece. He was not happy with how it’d Turned out. He’d spoken out against a Captain, something that went against everything he knew, and it hadn’t really helped. So he’d Just stay quiet for now.

“Well, that could’ve gone better...” He muttered after the Call of pirates had made people split up. He briefly considered what to do, taking to the air and following either Eryn or Sybilla cam to mind, but he thought better of it. Another set of eyes wouldn’t help his impulsive step-sister much, and Sybilla clearly wanted to do her own thing, what with storming into the water.

Then a sailor called for their attention. Lan briefly considered turning into... something... and taking a bite out of him when the bastard called him a landlubber. They didn’t even have basic respect among sailors here? His opinion of this ship and Crew was sinking faster than a galley made by goblins.
... I don’t know nuthin’ about ballistas. Guess I’ll be preparin’ arrows, then.” He said with a resigned sigh, looking at Marcus. He gave the paladin a nod, before walking of to work.

Marcus observed Ilura and Sybilla fly and swim away from the ship, maybe envious of their abilities for a moment. He didn't have much more time to contemplate it as the sailor's cry came. Looking at the indicated posts, Marcus nodded at the druid's share of work. "If anyone can help with preparing the heavy weapon, come with me." Marcus instructed the hirelings, of which he didn't know enough to presume who might or might not qualify. "The rest, help where you can."

"Brigg," she said, "your captain is bound by a contract on her soul, so I believe she will only grow more agitated from here on out. If we do not stand up for ourselves, she'll take it out on us. That may be good for your mutiny - it turns people away from supporting Frost, you know? - but I will not stand idly by while she hurts any of my companions. I won't be the first to draw a weapon, but I won't hesitate to do so either, if I deem it necessary."

Having arrived at the ship's room for incarceration, Eryn sighed and entered the small compartment. Fully armed, and with Mouse lurking around to sneak her food, it didn't quite feel like prison yet. She wasn't certain how long she would be staying. "Have you thought about the mutiny?" she asked, while Brigg was closing the door behind her, and turned to face the officer. The warrior stroked the bars of the door with her gloved hands, contemplating if the iron would yield to sufficient force. 'Maybe,' she concluded. "I still don't like the idea of being stranded in the middle of the ocean while a fight goes down. There's not even a solid plan, just the notion that maybe a quarter of the crew will support us. As much as I dislike the captain right now, mutiny sounds like suicide for all of us, and I think we need to wait it out. Even if we win, we can't sail the ship with most of the crew incapacitated."

Eryn sighed again and stroked a small scar on her cheek absentmindedly. Another mark of battle; she was never that keen on adding another. "...And what is Frost, exactly?" The question came without much thought put behind it. It was not for tactical information. Eryn's curiosity simply got the better of her. "She doesn't feel entirely human to me, but in a different way than the triton we recently picked up. Magic has something to do with it, I sense?"

Eryn

"What is she?" Officer Brigg said back to Eryn. He stood with the brig door in one hand, but had not closed it yet. "She definitely is not entirely human, no. She is half human, half ice elemental. That is where her icy magic comes from And why, normally, she doesn't like to come out into the hot daylight. As I understand it, much of her family is similarly... mixed. Although I am unsure of how that came about. I have a difficult time imagining that one of her parents is a full-fledged ice elemental." Brig snorted, as if the very idea were preposterous.

Then Brigg's face took on a more serious tone. "But to get back to your earlier question, no, I haven't really put a lot of thought into the mutiny. I've been pretty busy what with the storm and repairs and such. There have even been rumors of a halfling ghost aboard the ship, not that I would put much credit into such ideas." He shrugged. "It is seeming more and more like a seizure of power may be necessary, the way things are going. I hear she plans on taking us across the Hazy Sea! However, I was expecting you and your crew to come up with most of the details once you got settled in. If you are worried about getting lost at sea though, we are currently not that far from Cliffport... Even a rowboat could probably make it back to shore from here if the situation became that dire." The man shrugged again.

"And don't forget several of your companions are well-attuned to life at sea," a voice behind Eryn said. The fighter turned to see Lady Mirrorsheen hovering at the porthole. As she landed daintily on its edge, she added, "Or can otherwise fly. If we are going to ruin our welcome on this ship, I would rather it be today than three weeks from now. Especially if Miss Frost plans on performing more of her barbaric acts." The little fairy shuddered to emphasize her disapproval.

What do you do?

---

Marcus and Mithralan

Up on deck, as Mithralan began collecting arrows from the room they were stored, Opal the gargoyle fluttered over and planted itself onto his shoulder. The small opaline critter sat silently as the druid worked, and seemed to know exactly when its presence would get in the way. Whenever it sensed it would be a hindrance, it fluttered overhead and would land again once it was safe once more.

After a while, Officer Tonya Star approached the druid. "Say, you spent a lot of time at sea. What do you make of this?" The officer led Mithralan over to a barrel where spare cutting tools were stored for easy access in the event of another ship attempting a boarding maneuver. She pulled out a hatchet, but the end was all brown and rusty-looking. "At first I thought water got in and these got rusty, but..." She struck the side of the barrel and the blade squished like a sponge. She went to strike it a second time and the hatchet blade dropped off, walked on tentacled legs, then plopped back into the barrel of tools. The officer was left holding an empty handle. "Strange, right? Do you know what it is?"

Meanwhile, Marcus began preparing the ballista. As he walked over after asking for assistance, Silas followed, as well as Westley. Silace said, "I have not worked with this particular machine before, but I have worked with similar devices."

Then Westley added in, "I haven't ever touched a siege machine before, but I'm sure I can figure it out!" He had his usual air of overzealous enthusiasm about him. "Can't be too hard. Especially for someone as well-traveled as myself. I've got stores of worldly knowledge to draw on!" Silas didn't look particularly convinced by Westley's words, but merely stood there with his snakes slithering about him and let Marcus make the calls.

In addition to the joys of setting up a siege weapon, Marcus also finally received a reply to the note he sent to N.E.C.R.O. The next time he got a chance to look in his magical journal, he would find a note scrawled there by his contact from the secret society.

Marcus, servant of Lusiny,

We have had our experts look into the matter you have requested information on. They have concluded that the only reliable ways in which you can break a Devil's Bargain and retain your soul is to destroy the demon used to bind it, or destroy the signatory who would receive the soul. We have concluded that the use of a stasis bag may be able to delay the forfeit of the soul, but not stop it entirely. In order to delay forfeiture in this manner, the signatory must enter the bag before the contract is breached, and drink holy water immediately before doing so. Then their soul shall remain their own until they leave the bag, wherein normal Devil's Bargain rules will be applied thereafter.

If you decide to test this hypothesis, please send a description of your results.

Regards,
Nobody

What do you do?

---

Sybilla

Under the waves, Sybilla quickly outpaced Captain Frost's ship, making her way toward the location the pirate ship was supposed to be. It wasn't difficult to travel quickly like this for a short while, but Sybilla could feel her muscles quickly becoming tired from the extended exertion. Still, it wasn't too terribly long before she spotted the lower hull of the ship ahead of her.

She could tell by the way it was listing to the side that it had taken significant damage. Despite that, it was still in sailing condition. Additionally, she could tell by its design and war paint that it was a ship most likely owned by the Bolted Bandits. A pirate gang that sailed these parts. They were known both for their hit and run tactics, and for their crew members who had learned lightning and weather-based magics. They were an eccentric but not overly murderous bunch of miscreants. Definitely criminals though.

And judging by the name painted on the side, she was on speaking terms with at least one high-ranking member on board.

What do you do?

---

Ilura

Thomas gave Ilura a caw of delight as the two of them ascended into the sky once again. From the air, the ranger had a great view of her surroundings and of any dangers that might pose a threat. It didn't take long for her to spot the pirate ship once again. And she could spot a figure in the water swimming directly toward it. It was Sybilla. To a normal person at ship height she would be invisible, but Ilura was high in the air, and her eyes could pierce darkness. Even the darkness beneath the waves. Whatever the triton's plan was, it obviously involved the pirate ship.

Another thing that became increasingly obvious was that Captain Frost's ship was going to come into view of the pirate ship before the pirate ship moved far enough away from the wreckage. Frost would either need to slow down or plan a different rout. Or... The ranger's sharp eye spotted barrels among the wreckage that seemed to be leaking an oily substance. Probably cooking oil from the galley. And it was in a position that if it were to catch fire, the smoke could cover their approach! It would certainly be a risk that needed to be weighed though.

And lastly, after Thomas mentioned the smell of carrion in the air, Ilura noted that the wreck seemed to be attracting certain wildlife. So far a couple of small sharks, a few seagulls, and some curious fish. Nothing too noteworthy. But the experienced ranger knew it could be an indicator that more creatures would be drawn to the smells in the water over time.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
What is about to happen?
Sybilla is approaching the pirate ship for some reason.

What should I be on the lookout for?
Creatures drawn by the blood and wreckage.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
Barrels of cooking oil among the wreckage that could be ignited to give cover to Frost's ship

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

Seagull Moves:
Snatch Small Item
Blend with the Flock
Pester

Sybilla
The ship appears to be owned by the Bolt Bandits. You know someone who should be aboard this particular ship. Who is it? How do you know them? And what is the name of the ship?

Eryn
Captain frost is half human, half ice elemental. Also, you are not currently too far from land. You would know Cliffport is just past the horizon.

Marcus
You received your reply to your question. It is up to you when you notice that you have received it.

Mithralan
Officer Tonya Star has found a weird critter in her barrel of tools and wants to know if you know what it is. Feel free to know or not know whatever you want about it.

Sybilla reached the ship finally and gripped the side of its hull, breathing deep she tried to ease her sore muscles. She could only imagine how badly she would hurt if she had brought her pack. Looking up at the ship emblazoned with the name 'The Cork', she remembered her time as a deckhand swabbing off the animal fat and blood off its boards.

How many times had she heard someone make a "The Cork is Screwed" joke and every time the cook would laugh. Cecil Stowaway, as the crew had once called him, was a halfling who had a knack for getting into small places and a skill for making months old fish heads almost palatable (something she often commented on). She almost wished she hadn't deserted them when they were having the ship investigated by some suspicious harbormasters.

Returning to the present she also wished she had brought a grappling hook or some other way of making her way up to the deck. Not seeing any easily accessible way up she let out a few loud whistles that mimicked the sound of crossbow bolts flying through the air. Back when she was with the Bolt Bandits that was their war cry. Hopefully that hadn't changed and they could hear her over the rocking waves and creaking wood.

"Ask before doing anything." Marcus advised Westley "Especially if you're fond of your fingers and hands." the paladin gestured at the gears and tracks along which they moved. He proceeded setting up and checking one side of the machine, helping Silas as necessary.

He was far from checking the journal, but he did pause, maybe too often, to look at what Captain Frost was doing.

12:11, Today: Marcus rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities.
What here is not what it appears to be?

Will our ship pass close enough that a flaming arrow could ignite the barrels?

[I wonder what that triton's up to...  Would you care to have a listen?  I've got to tell the captain her options.]

She swooped back down to the ship.  Given the choice of initing oil and slowing down, Ilura had a pretty good idea of which choice the captain would prefer.

Yes and no. It will pass close enough. But by the time it does, it would already be in view of the other ship, making the smokescreen much less useful.